4/14 Movie Trip

Our movie critic, Paul McGuire Grimes, recommends three movies you can watch from your own couch!

HIDDEN FIGURES (home release)

Hidden Figures provides an inspiring history lesson on three African-American women who were pioneers at NASA, and yet no one knows their story. It’s 1961 and the Russians are gaining momentum with Sputnik and the U.S. is desperately trying to mark their place in space history. Katherine Johnson, along with her friends Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson all work for NASA but all of the black women of NASA have been relegated to the basement offices. All three have the tenacity and will power to move ahead in the world despite the opposition they face. Dorothy would love to become a supervisor for her “girls” as she’s already doing the work without the title. Mary is poised to become an engineer, yet NASA makes it all the more problematic when new guidelines are put in place for the educational requirements that Mary doesn’t have. It’s only Katherine that seems to be able to make some momentum at advancing her career when she’s given a new position in the analytics team. As you can imagine, this ruffles the feathers of her white male colleagues. The clock is ticking at NASA and John Glenn’s mission on the Friendship 7 is quickly approaching. All three women set out to make their voices heard and put themselves forward to help in the launch and recovery the Friendship 7.

Is it Worth Your Trip to the Movies? Bring the whole family to see an uplifting film about three women whose contributions to NASA and space travel should not be ignored.

PATRIOTS DAY (home release)

There are three things that you can do on Patriots Day. You can watch the marathon, run in the marathon, or go cheer on the Boston Red Sox. It’s practically a holy day of observation for Bostonians to honor their city and community. That was all tested on April 15, 2013 when two brothers set off bombs near the finish line. The film shares the stories of many involved including a Boston officer, the Watertown sheriff, a young MIT security guard, the Tsarnaev brothers, and the young Chinese app developer who they took hostage that night. It becomes a race against the clock for members of the FBI and the Boston P.D. to track down the perpetrators of such a heinous crime.

KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (home release)

I’ve seen quite a few animated films this year, and Kubo and the Two Strings ranks as the very best of that list. A young boy named Kubo lives in a rocky cliff above town. He wears a patch over his eye, which was taken by his grandfather when he was a little boy. His fathered perished while trying to protect him, and now his mother keeps him in hiding from his grandfather and two aunts are out to claim the other eye. During the daytime, Kubo spends his day in the village as a street performer telling stories and using magic to bring his origami creatures to life. The only rule he has is to be back before sundown. One day he loses track of time as he is trying to use a lantern to reconnect with his father. The darkness brings out his wicked aunts who have now found him. His mother is able to save him by whisking him off to the far land but is killed herself in the process. Hope is not lost for Kubo in the far land as he finds himself under the protective watch of Monkey, which happens to be his toy charm that has come to life. She’s a no-nonsense mentor hoping to lead him in the right direction. Along their quest Beetle, a half man and half beetle samurai, joins them as they set out to find the armor that once belonged to Kubo’s father as that is the only thing that will protect him from Grandfather.

Is It Worth Your Trip to the Movies? Kubo is exceptional in every possible way.